by mtonta20 | Sep 28, 2017 | OPINIONS
I usually don’t write book reviews or have much time to write animation related resources review as much lately but today when I happened across Cartoon Brew’s article on “If You Are Thinking Of Starting An Animation Career in L.A., You NEED to read this comic” It talked about a must read comic by Natalie Nourigat called “I Moved to LA to work in Animation”. for others that plan to move to LA for animation career. It seemed interesting but I wasn’t thinking of moving to LA anytime soon but as the executive director of ASIFA-SOUTH animation society (South US chapter), I put the resource up on our community page and didn’t think much of it. Then tonight during our monthly creative mixer, one student artist brought up that she was interested but didn’t want to spend $10 on it. I raised an eyebrow and thought to myself $10 isn’t a lot of money for intellectual property but then I had to remind myself that I was working and we’re talking about students that have student loans to worry about on top of working part time to support themselves. Therefore, I came back home tonight and bought the book to see if it was worth recommending. I also happened to receive an email tonight a little later as well from my mentor who works at Sony Broadcasting (a veteran TD who has numerous feature film credits and an amazing mentor I look up to and respect) and he sent me a link to the book as well saying “really fun – I lived in LA to work in animation comic”...
by mtonta20 | Sep 21, 2017 | INSPIRATION, OPINIONS
Needy Animator’s Notes: With the coming of Inktober, a tradition where artist gather online to post one inked image a day for the whole of October, we are releasing a 3 part article focused on Inking. The other day I read through an artist friend’s facebook post to find a very interesting post on how another artist commented that those that were inking digitally was “missing out” on the whole learning process only traditional inking could provide. This is particularly interesting as there has always been a divide not only in this issue but with the rise of technology between those that embrace the digital process and others that are more purist with the belief that traditional methods without CTRL+X means the restriction will force you to really master your skills. Is it really one or the other? A medium versus its own development and transformation over time? Personally I am not a purist nor do I have an opinion on which is better but I do want to address how new technological advances such as a particular dynamic fluid painting app EXPRESII that has the ability to imitate fluid and paint flow, whether it be in the way ink is blended together or how you can twist your tablet around and have the paint flow down the screen to close the gap of what is part of the argument for the use of traditional equipment. (Full disclosure: I asked Nelson Chu, the creator of EXPRESII for some app sponsorship discount codes for our ASIFA SOUTH Animation Conference and Festival last month as I was intrigued by the creations...
by mtonta20 | Jun 21, 2016 | OPINIONS
by Colin Wheeler Introduction by the Needy Animator It is no secret to those close to me that other than being an avid browser of food-related content, I am also a hungry glutton of the animation selections on Netflix as well clicking on anything that mildly looks animated. We’re not talking just Disney classics to anime or famous features and series here but also lower budget straight-to-video selections and even pre-school animation with animated numbers and alphabets. So on more than one occasion, I have also watched more than a few episodes of a “not for kids” animated series only to be disappointed to be leaving with a sense of sadness that all I got out of my 2 hours of sit down session was derogatory content. Hey, I’m not naive and know to expect more than a fair share of raunchiness with the genre but while there are a lot of smart “adult animation” that peppers their show with raunchy content (personally I am a fan of Bo Jack Horseman and commend Archer on its up-to-date humor), it seems like there is also a great trend for the “adult animation” genre that heavily rely on being raunchy, rude, and uses crass slapstick and violence as a replacement of having real engaging storyline or character appeal. Sure, it might be totally subjective on my part but this article is a better musing by Colin Wheeler, our editor-in-chief with an MFA in Animation currently pursuing his PHD on this interesting phenomenon. “I have a fine sense of the ridiculous, but no sense of humor.” Edward Albee A situation only induces laughter when one never sees it...
by mtonta20 | Apr 3, 2016 | PEOPLE
The Importance of Traveling as an Animator by Nadine Promes (Edited by Colin Wheeler) As an international student and coming from a family that moved often, traveling has become second nature to me, within time, it turned into some sort of addiction. To give you an idea this summer alone I visited 4 different countries, almost 20 cities/towns and stayed in 12 different accommodations. In the past it would shock me whenever I encountered someone that said to me they didn’t like (or minded) traveling. I then realized that many factors go into this lack of interest, a major one being the fear of leaving your comfort zone. However the more I travel the more I understand how incredibly important it is to me, not only as a person, but also as an artist; more specifically an animator/storyteller. It not only opens up your mind to things you didn’t know existed, but it also introduces you to new cultures and new ways of understanding our brothers and sisters from all over the world. I fear to say that stereotypically speaking, animators are thought of as introverted people that spend most their time hunched over a desk or in front of a computer or game console for hours on end. Although I know this is partially true, I would like to break the stereotype by believing in a new generation of animators with no boundaries. World Building as an Artist As an artist, when you travel, you are open to different kinds of geographies, different city arrangements, new architecture, and new vistas you are not used to. You are also...
by mtonta20 | Mar 30, 2016 | ARTIST LAW
The Case of Wage Fixing in the Animation Industry and its Implications Introduction by the Needy Animator Personally, this topic has been of big interest to me as an artist, especially with how the outcome of this case could really determine the standards of the animation industry and how artists are treated. As we dig deeper into the Antitrust Law case and wage fixing in animation, entertainment lawyer Lee Morin sheds light into the hot topic of the ongoing case with insights to how this could affect the direction of the animation industry. While this series might be longer than most, it is very relevant that we as artist follow closely as a community. I believe that it is important to foster awareness and self protection for our industry as a whole so that the career path of an artist is a livable one where we can be passionate about what we do without sacrificing our livelihoods. We are most grateful to Lee for putting so much time and energy to do this in-depth research for us! Because of the length of this article and content that might be hard to digest, this article has been divided into 4 sections with leading key point for each. In re Animation Workers Antitrust Litigation by Lee Morin, Esq. SECTION 1: OVERVIEW OF THE ANTITRUST LAW CASE Antitrust Law has shaped the entertainment industries since the 1940s. It is the reason why performance rights organizations like ASCAP and BMI do not collect royalties from United States theaters(1)Alden–Rochelle, Inc. v. ASCAP, 80 F.Supp. 888, 894–96 (S.D.N.Y. 1948). on behalf of songwriters and publishers, and why...
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